- With salons across the world shut down, many are attempting to groom their own
eyebrows at home. Insider 's Medha Imam enlisted the help of Sabah Feroz, an eyebrow expert at Blink Brow Bar in New York City, to learn how to safely thread her own eyebrows.- Feroz shared tips and tricks as well as why she thinks threading is the best method to clean your brows.
Following is a transcript of the
Medha Imam: Ow! [gasps] I think I got a lot.
[gasps] Sabah Feroz: Wait, is that your eyebrow hair or your head hair?
Medha: It's my eyebrow hair. So, Sabah, thank you so much for calling, and I am so excited to get started and learn how to do my eyebrows. I've never done it before myself, so I'm a little nervous. A lot of my friends have been messaging me, and they're like, "How are we gonna get our eyebrows under control?" And if you can see, I don't know if you can see mine, but it's incredibly intense.
Sabah: [laughing] I see.
Medha: How long have you been threading eyebrows?
Sabah: Professionally, since I was 15. So for almost 20 or more years. Learning threading, I don't think it's hard, you just need more practice on shaping brows.
Medha: Would you recommend that threading is safe or easy to do at home? [laughs]
Sabah:It's safe, but you have to know what you're doing. So I'll show you step by step how to maintain your shape while you're home.
Medha: What type of thread should I be using?
Sabah: I mean, you can use any type of thread. I basically use a normal sewing thread. The next thing is if you don't have a tamer, which is a brow brush, which looks like this... I'll show you. So, it's like that. So if you have something like that, you can use that. And if you don't have a tamer, then you can use, I tend to use a toothbrush. So, you can also use a toothbrush to kinda, like, brush it up. And so this way you see more of your defined shape to your brows, so you know which hair, where to take out.
Medha: I'm using this because I don't have the mascara one, and, again, this is from my brother's drawer. I don't know what he uses this for. [laughs]
Sabah: Well, did you clean it? [laughs] Before you use it on your brows.
Medha: I can't confirm that.
Sabah: Oh, my God. OK, well, let's hope it's clean. And then you do need a scissor. You know, the nail scissor, which looks like this. So, it's, like, a little angled to trim your brows at the ends. You know, a lot of people have, like, really long hair, where they're, like, sticking out, so I suggest that they should brush their brows and then trim those hair. So if your skin is, like, oily or, you know, if you're sweating, then it's best to apply the powder.
Medha: Is that why they do that in the salon?
Sabah: Yeah, to kinda keep the hair, like, you know, your skin dry, so it's easier for them to, like, grab the hair and thread. And to start, you also need a pencil, and you take the pencil, not to fill in the brows, but just follow your natural shape and outline them. So, don't remove any hair too close to the shape, especially 'cause we're just learning.
Medha: Like, here?
Sabah: So, basically, you see this is my eyebrow, right? I would shape, like, really close to the shape. Just so you know where not to touch.
Medha: OK, I got you. I'm getting there. I think I did something.
Sabah: OK, great. But you also have to do the top. So, like, basically all around. Like, just shape.
Medha: Like that?
Sabah: Yep. Just like that. [both laugh] OK, so, let's grab a thread. And, normally, I mean, I can't really tell you what length to cut the thread, because normally it's, like, 10 to 11 inches. But that depends, like, if you have big hands. So, I would do, like, let's say for me, I'll do, like, 12 'cause my fingers are long. So, you see? This is the length I would use, right? And then you just tie the thread in, like, a knot right here. And then you put your both hand, like, fingers, inside the loop and then twist. So, just make sure the knot is, like, hidden, like, you know, in between your fingers or your hand.
Medha: Yeah.
Sabah: So it doesn't get in between while you're removing the hair. So, you have, like, this X shape right now. So, basically, what you do next is normally when you go to a salon, the, you know, the person makes you hold your brows to stretch the skin so they can see the hair properly. But you can't really stretch and thread. Here, look at the mirror and look at yourself and see where the hair is directed. So, you always go the opposite direction of where the hair is facing.
Medha: If my right eyebrow is facing this way, like -
Sabah: If your hair is facing right, then you go left. If it's facing left, then you go right. So, you basically, what you do is you put the V in the direction of where the hair is facing, and then you kinda move your hand like a scissor.
Medha: I feel like I'm holding it wrong.
Sabah: I put all my five fingers, and this one I put four. So whichever feels comfortable. So, see if you can do this first.
Medha: Ow! [laughs]
Sabah: There you go! You got one. [laughs] When you open this V, the other one closes down, so you have control with your finger. So that's why I said try it on your face first and see if you're comfortable enough to kinda -
Medha: Maybe it's too big.
Sabah: Make it smaller. So, use the same one. Just tie it a little smaller. OK, so now twist. See, you already know. I don't have to teach you. Do you feel anything being pulled? Because the twist in the middle, when you rub this against your skin and you go into, like, you know, scissor motion, it kinda pulls the hair.
Medha: I do feel a little bit of... ooh!
Sabah: Yeah, I see it. [laughs]
Medha: It is hard, I have to say. Without someone stretching your skin.
Sabah: It is, and you have to be really gentle because you cannot press the thread too hard on your skin, otherwise you'll end up pulling your skin out. So, let's start with your brows. Let's just go for the obvious hair that's, like, way down there, like, not too close to your shape.
Medha: Ah!
Sabah: Try not to pull your skin, just the hair. Just move your hand so you can actually see it, 'cause I feel like you're covering one of your, like, the eye that you have to see from. So you have both of your eyes closed to thread.
Medha: OK. Is this better?
Sabah: Yeah. Perfect.
Medha: OK.
Sabah: Not too close to the shape.
Medha: OK. I feel like I'm just cutting them to shorter length.
Sabah: In the beginning, once you're learning, obviously you don't know how much pressure to put on your skin. So if you're far from your skin and you're just pulling the hair sometime, it tends to cut the hair instead of pulling it out from the root.
Medha: OK. Maybe I have to get closer. [laughs] I'm trying my best.
Sabah: You can do it.
Medha: Ah! I got one!
Sabah: You got one. OK, great. See, if you keep practicing, I feel like you'll get it. So, then we need to face inside, and then you have to move your right hand, like, open and close. Open and close. You see, I saw it, I saw your skin being pulled.
Medha: OK, I'm gonna try this side again. 'Cause this is literally the side that's growing like freaking monster. [gasps] I think I got a lot.
[Sabah gasps] Wait, is that your eyebrow hair or your head hair?
Medha: It's my eyebrow hair.
Sabah: Oh, my God.
Medha: I got it.
Sabah: Well, at least you got it, yeah. But just make sure there's no hole, 'cause it's quite a lot.
Medha: I feel like I'm getting somewhere. It just hurts.
Sabah: If you have sensitive skin, you do tend to get red because your hair is being pulled. So if you have, like, aloe gel or rose gel or even, you know, if you have none of these stuff, you can also use ice or just rinse your face with the cold water, and the red will go down in, like, a few minutes.
Medha: Thank you so much, Sabah. I think I learned...well, I think... do you have actually anything else to say in regards to just, you know, using all the equipment we have at home to thread our eyebrows?
Sabah: Just, like, you know, don't try this on your face unless you really know what you're doing, especially with the threading. Practice on, like, someone before you do your own eyebrows. And if you can't do it, then stick to
Medha: So, this is the end results of my eyebrows. I just cleaned them. I didn't really try to go too far into my shape because I don't trust myself. But to end things off, Sabah did recommend to, you know, use aloe vera gel. So I have some aloe vera gel right here, and this will just help any irritation or redness. So, I'm just gonna lightly put it on my eyebrows with a cotton. Just swipe it out. And it feels so good after all that pulling of your skin. And voilà! I'm ready for a ball in my own basement.